


Mistranslation

by bookwyrmling



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hotel, Bitty and Ransom are guests, Gen, Jack is a bellman, Misadventures in other languages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 07:26:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11916033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwyrmling/pseuds/bookwyrmling
Summary: “Okay, okay,” Ransom said through one of his overly large smiles. He took in a deep breath and slowly let it out until his obvious entertainment in the situation faded, “Maybe you just need to practice? I speak, like, minimal French, but I can try to help with pronunciation, at least?”Bitty stared at Ransom with trepidation, carefully mulling the offer over before sighing and dropping his head and shoulders when he realized he was going to be horribly chirped either way. Ransom pumped his fist.“Bits, bro, I promise I will only laugh if it’s really really bad.”





	Mistranslation

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a Tumblr post by pie-the-way: So I just heard this story where in France instead of saying “Merci beaucoup” (thank you so much) my friend said “Merci bon cul” (thanks, nice ass) to the bell boy who brought up her bags and all I could think of is Bitty making that mistake when talking to Jack (either pre/post relationship) and Jack just dying of laughter and Bitty dying of mortification when he finds out what he actually said

“Look, I know the joke is that French people are supposed to be snooty, but I thought that was just France French people, not Canada French people,” Bitty ranted over his drink, “And I know my accent’s strong and I know my French isn’t the best, but there was no reason for him to laugh at me!”

“But you still gave him his tip ri-?”

“Of course I still gave the man his tip, Rans, who do you think I am?” Bitty cut-in, his annoyance still obvious as he took a drink of his latte and burned his tongue. “Don’ waugh!” he glared across the table as Ransom covered his mouth with his hands, but still didn’t manage to muffle the snort.

“Okay, okay,” Ransom said through one of his overly large smiles. He took in a deep breath and slowly let it out until his obvious entertainment in the situation faded, “Maybe you just need to practice? I speak, like, minimal French, but I can try to help with pronunciation, at least?”

Bitty stared at Ransom with trepidation, carefully mulling the offer over before sighing and dropping his head and shoulders when he realized he was going to be horribly chirped either way. Ransom pumped his fist.

“You can’t laugh,” Bitty demanded and Ransom nodded gravely while holding his fingers up.

“You were not a scout, Justin Oluransi, so don’t even try that one on me.”

Ransom snorted before nodding his head, “Bits, bro, I promise I will only laugh if it’s really really bad.”

Bitty sighed. “I guess that’s the best I can hope for,” he muttered before shaking his arms out, closing his eyes and saying, “Mersee bon coo.”

The table next to them went quiet and after several moments of silence, he peaked an eye open to see pure and unbridled delight on his coworker’s face.

“Say it again!” Ransom squeaked, clearly holding his breath to keep the laughter at bay.

“Not when you’re making that face, I’m not,” Bitty pouted before turning to sip carefully at his drink.

Ransom cleared his throat and stretched out his mouth to work the smile and laughter away before pressing, “Bitty, come on, man. I need to make sure I heard right.”

Bitty sighed, glaring at their neighbors who still appeared to be staring at them in shock, before leaning over the table and whispering, “Mersee bon coo.”

The entire coffee shop was staring at them then, as Ransom laughed so hard he cried and so loud that the harried barrista jumped at its first appearance.

“I know my accent’s bad,” Bitty spoke in annoyance of Ransom’s laughter once it had begun to fade, “but-”

“It’s not the accent, Bits,” Ransom cut in, still giggling as he wiped tears from his eyes, “It’s…you told the bellman-pfffft! You didn’t say thank you, you told him-hahaha!” Ransom fell into laughter again for a moment, the kind where you’re telling a joke but find it so funny you can’t make it all the way to the punchline before cracking up, but managed to squeak out, just loud and clear enough for Bitty to hear and understand: “You told him he had a nice ass!”

“Lord!” Bitty’s face went beat red as his eyes ran over the shop to see who else was still paying attention to his sheer and utter embarrassment.

“Merci beaucoup is ‘thank you very much,’ Bitty,” Ransom explained through crying and snorting, “Merci bon cul is ‘thanks; great ass.’ You told the bellman he had a great ass.”

With Ransom still in hysterics, the entire coffee shop staring at him, and a bellman he had apparently cat-called still on shift when he and Ransom had left the hotel to grab coffee, Bitty dropped his head into his arms and wished for immediate death. Because, honestly, what else was he supposed to do? Spontaneous combustion was sadly not a scientifically feasible option, but maybe his heart would give out from sheer embarrassment.

A thought jumped into Bitty's head and he let out a singular laugh, covering his mouth as he looked up to meet Ransom’s eyes before spluttering some more. “Well, I mean,” he admitted through his chuckles and fingers covering his red face as he thought back to the tall man with the bright blue eyes that had brought his laundry up to him, “I did enjoy watching him walk away…”


End file.
